The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, and in particular, relates to an image forming apparatus including an intermediate transfer unit having an intermediate transfer belt, and a fixing unit disposed above the intermediate transfer unit.
Conventionally, there have been known color image forming apparatuses including an intermediate transfer belt onto which toner images formed on a plurality of photosensitive drums (image carriers) are transferred. A color image forming apparatus includes, for example, a plurality of photosensitive drums, an intermediate transfer unit including an intermediate transfer belt, a driving roller, and a driven roller, the driving and driven rollers rotatably stretching the intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller that constitutes a secondary transfer nip portion together with the intermediate transfer belt, and a fixing unit that is disposed above the intermediate transfer unit and fixes on a sheet (recording medium) toner images transferred from the intermediate transfer belt onto the sheet. In such a color image forming apparatus, after passing through the secondary transfer nip portion, a sheet is conveyed to a fixing portion of the fixing unit to have a toner image fixed thereon, and is then discharged outside of an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus.